The Stringer

Overview

A paean to when fact-based journalism mattered, The Stringer, set at an important turning point a few years ago, is a globe-trotting, action-packed, timely statement about how a society without a vibrant independent culture of reporting can degenerate into chaos and a warning of the dangers of sophisticated new technologies that enable the manufacture and modification of 'truths' with no basis in fact

Suffering from budget cuts, layoffs, and a growing suspicion that his search for the truth has become obsolete, veteran war correspondent Mark Scribner is about to throw in the towel on journalism when he discovers that his hard-earned knowledge can save his career and make him wealthy and famous. All he has to do is pivot to social media and, with a few cynical twists, abandon everything he cares about most.

Reviews

"A thoughtful story that's unpredictable to its end, The Stringer is an engaging thriller that strikes a resounding note of warning." —Peter Dabbene, Foreword

"Many years ago I wrote about the Warren Ellis book Transmetropolitan. To this day, it remains one of my favorite works and stands out as a piece that shaped the way I thought about a lot of things. Almost 20 years later, I received an advance copy of Ted Rall's The Stringer in the mail and after reading it I felt the same thing I felt all those years ago." —William Kuelesa, New Jersey Journal

"This biting, hard-boiled character study delivers satire with bile to spare." —Publishers Weekly

"One of the most entertaining books I've read in the last decade! Gripping, smart and scarily plausible, this potent dose of realpolitik is a supremely engaging yarn." —Win Wiacek, Now Read This!

"One of 4 graphic novels to blow your socks off! You know that feeling when you find a new comic book or graphic novel and it just totally sucks you in, and you love the story and you love the characters and the artwork just blows your mind." —San Francisco Book Review

"One of the 'Books that Made 2021 Worth Living Through'. Absolutely blew my mind!" —Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Author Biography

Editorial cartoonist, essayist and graphic novelist Ted Rall grew up near Dayton, Ohio. He graduated with honors from Columbia University. He has since become a widely-syndicated cartoonist, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Pulitzer Prize finalist, twice the winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the author of 20 books, including the first instant graphic novel To Afghanistan & Back, and Silk Road to Ruin. He has done a number of successful comics biographies, including of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Born in Leon, Spain, 1967, Pablo Callejo can't remember when he started to draw or when he first felt the need to tell stories through pictures, but he took his time, since he didn't try to get published until he was 32. After years of living in Madrid, and then in the countryside near his birthplace, he now lives with his wife in Luxembourg working as a graphic artist.